Mail distributing device



June 30, 1931. J. WEINER MAIL DISTRIBUTING DEVICE Filed Nov. 8, 1929 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNVENTOR 27 B 1 I 2 v 0 Q5 ATTORNEY J m 1931- J. WEINER MAIL DISTRIBUTING DEVIGE .F'iled Nov. 8, 1929 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 30, 1931 J. WEINER MAIL DISTRIBUTING DEVICE Filed NOV. 8, 1929 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORN EY June 30, 1931. J. WEINER 1,812,419

MAIL DISTRIBUTING vDEVICE Filed Nov. 8, 1929 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 w i W I ATTQRN EY June 30, 1931. J. WEINER 1,812,419

MAIL DISTRIBUTING DEVICE Filed Nov. 8, 1929 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 I ATTORNEY June 39, 1931.

J, WEINER MAIL DISTRIBUTING DEVICE Fild Nov. 8, 1929 6 Sneets-Sheet 6 ATTORNEY Patented June 30, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JACOB WEINER, F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR 'IO JACOB WEINER COMPANY,

INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE MAIL DISTHIBUTING DEVICE Application filed November This invention relates to new and. useful improvements in mail distributing devices, and has for its primary object the provision of a device of this character for the assortment of mail after it has left a cancellation department.

Heretofo-re devices of this character have been exceedingly bulky and complicated to handle and assemble, and extremely expensive, and it is a further purpose of this invention to eliminate the above faults and produce a device wherein the various parts are very compact, and interchangeable and requiring no more skill than is necessary in the case of typewriting.

. It is necessary to operate any distributing device at relatively high speed and the device herein disclosed is capable of such speed due to its simplicity of construction and centrali ized operative power.

The details of this device will be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In referring more specifically to the drawmgs, I

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my device. I

Figure 2 represents a top plan view thereof.

Figure 3 represents a longitudinal section taken on line 33 of Figure 1, in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 represents a similar view taken on the line 4t of Figure 1.

Figure 5 represents another longitudinal section taken 011 the line 5-5 of Figure l, i with parts broken away.

Figure 6 represents a verticalsection on the line 66 of Figure 2.

Figure 7 represents a detail sectional view of the feeding device for the letters.

Figure 8 represents a detail view of the operating means for the feeding device.

Figure 9 represents a diagrammatical view showing the path of a letter through the feeding device.

Figures 10, 11, 12 and 13 represent de: tailed views showing the method of operating various trips of the letter carrying arms.

'Figures 14 and 15 represent similar views showing the method of reset-ting the arms.

Figures 16 andl? represent detailed views 8, 1929. Serial No. 405,335.

of the tilting means for the letter carrying arms.

Figures 18, 19, 20 and 21 represent detailed views of the hey operated contacts and trips.

Figure 22 represents a modificational view of another form of traclrway.

Referring more in detail to the drawings,

1 designates a spider-like circular framework having a central portion 2 upon which is supported a shaft 3 having an enlarged base portion t. Shaft 8 also carries a sleeve 5 and a substantially wheel-like member 6, the sleeve 5 and the member 6 being freely rotatable upon the shaft 3.

The member 6 has situated radially upon it the stub shafts 7 which carry at their outer ends grooved wheels 8 adapted to ride upon the track 9 mounted on the upper surface 10 of the member 1. The stub shafts have also positioned upon them a series of collars 11 and an elongated member 12, also a collar 13 with an integral normally horizontal plate '14, the purposeof which will be hereinafter set forth. v

The member 1 has positioned near its center the motor 15, the shaft of the motor 62(- tending upward through the central portion 2 of the member 1 and having at its upper end a circular disc 16 upon which is attached eccentrically a pawl 17 adapted to co-act with a tooth 18 integral with sleeve 5. On the sleeve 5 positioned between the members 5 and 6, is the pawl and ratchet mechanism shown at 19 which consists of an arm 20 formed integral with the member 5 and carrying a pawl 21 for engagement with a series of teeth 22 carried by the member 6.

The arm 20 is normally urged in the direction of the arrow (see Fig. 41) by means of the spring 23 and held from overmotion by the stop 24 which contacts with an extension 25 on the outer end of the arm 20. The member 6 has also formed integrally with it the disc 26 provided with notches for engagement with a pawl 27, this pawl being connected by a member 28 to the arm 20 so that a movement of the said armcauses the pawl 27 to move in unison.

It will be seen from the foregoing that any rotation of the motor shaft will cause a rositioned upon of engagement with a' tooth 18 and so it will.

be seen that although the pawl is constantly operating it is idle as to function except such times when it is pulled into contact with the tooth 18 by the member 30.

The spring 31 normally urges the member 30 outwardly from the magnet. In order to energize the magnet 29 I have provided a series of L-shaped members 32 pivoted at.

their ends as at 33, and provided at their otherends with movable pawls 34 adapted to engage the members 35 whichare pivoted as at 36 and to'swing them'upwardly in order that their rear ends 37 may engage with the contact bar 38, and by so doing energize the magnet. Y Q c In order to operatethe members 32, I have provided the members 39 adapted to be poa pivot 30 and carrying at their outer ends the finger keys 31 The innerends of the member 39 underlie the members 32in such a manner as to swing the members 32 upwardly upon the keys being struck;

It'will be seen that the pawl 34 ofthe member 32 is so constructed as to pass the member 35 on theway down. The collars 11 are each provided with a pair of pins 40'and 41 of unequal length. The pin 40 is normally in a vertical position underneath the collar so that upon the rotation of the member 6 upturned portion of lever 32.

The pin40-is caused to'travel overthe pawl 34 to normally be struck by any'desired pawl 34. In other words, I have shown in the drawings seven collars 11; each carrying 1 the members pins 41 after they have been removed afourth a pin 40 and it will also be seen there are seven pawls34 arranged in alignment with the pins 40 so that it is possible to strike any desired pin 40 with any selected pawl.

In striking the pin 40 the collar to which it is attached is caused to rotate a quarter of a turn as shown in Figures '10 and 11. The pins 41 are right angles to the pins 40 and forward of them in regard "to the direction of travel. It will be seen that as the member 11' is rotated by the pin 40 it will bring the pin 41 into the position just occupied by pin 40. Spaced about underneath the collars 11 are 42 which lie in the path of the turn by the pins 40, one of the members 42 lying in the path of one pinyin each collar which would obviously arrange them spirally about a common center. It is thought to be obvious from the foregoing that any collar desired can lee-rotated at anyspoint selected points 57 adapted to positioned in the collars at by rotating it by means of the pin 40 by agiven pin 40 and a selected pawl 34 in order to bring any desired pin 41 in position to be struck by any selected member 42 the striking of the member 42 by the pin 41 causing he collar 11 to make still another fourth turn as shown'in Figures 12 and 13.

The member 12 which is substantially semicylindrical in shape forms a housing over the collars 11, 9 coming in contact with the pins 40 upon the completion of their first rotation. Upon the second rotation, the member 12, normally held in one position by the weight 44, is caused to rotateas seen in Fig. 13 and the edge 45 comes in contact with the plate 14 of the sleeve 13.

The sleeve 13 normallyholds fixed posi-- tion by means of the weighted portion 46. It will be seen from the foregoing that the plate 14 can be tilted into a vertical position-at any predetermined time and place. Thus any letter orpostal card flying upon the surface of plate 14 might be caused to drop therefrom at any selected spot. In order to provide receptacles I have provided the boxes 47 suitably device whereupon mail bags or the like--48 may be hung.

The device is provided with a cover 49 provided with slidingdoors50, a top 51, a central raised portion 52and a trackway53, within whichfletters may be stacked and urged around by any suitable pressure means generally shown at 54, and means for placing letters or the like, one by one, on the plate 14 as shown at 55 which consists of it will be in position'to be engaged. by the series of wheels 56 provided with needle engage a letter and rotated withina cage 58' tordrop it on. the surface 14. In Figure 8 the operating means for the device 55 consists of a chain of gears operated by a ratchet 59. On one end. ofa bar 60operated up and down by hand in order to more clearly read the address on the mail, I have provided the device 55 with a magnifying lens 61. I I i In order to reset the pins 40 and 41. I have providedthe housing 12 witha pin 62 for engagement with a lug 63 whichwill cause the edge 43 to engagethe pin 40 and thereby be rotated back to its normal position as shown in Figures 14 and 15. 1 It is understood that the device maybe operated by hand in so-far as placing the letthe edge 43 of the housing" arranged within the points 57 on wheels 56 grip the adjacent letter and carry it around the wheels as shown in Figure 9, and the letter is finally deposited on the member 14. The letters are constantly urged into contact with the needle points on the wheels 56 by the spring pressed arm 54 (see Fig. 2).

When the letter has fallen upon the member 14, the operator depresses the proper key 31, which is integral with the lever 39, the latter having an upturned portion which engages and raises a corresponding L-shaped lever 32. As the lever 32 is raised, the pawl 34 tilts the lever 35 to cause engagement of the contacts 37 and 38, to cause energization of the electromagnet 29, to cause the core 30 to be pulled down against the tension of spring 31. Downward movement of core 30 causes pawl 17 to engage the projection 18 on sleeve 5 and rotate the latter. Rotation of sleeve 5 imparts a similar rotation to member 6, through the pawl 21 and teeth 22, which are integral with member 6. Itwill be seen that the member 6 is rotated step by step, and continuously, the rotation of the member 6 being dependent upon the energization of the mag net 29, which occurs only when a key 31 is depressed. The pawl 21' is pivoted on arm 20, which is integral with member 5, and arm 20 has integral therewith a member 28 which supports spring pressed pawl 27. When pawl 21 engages ratchet 22, the member 28 moves counter-clockwise, (see Figure 4) and disengages pawl 27 from the notches in disc 26. After pawl 21 has imparted its movement to member 6, the arm 20 is returned to its initial position by the spring 23, which movement draws pawl 27 into engagement with disc 26 and thus prevents overthrow of the member 6. By means of this arrangement, the stopping of member 6 at definite points is assured so that the members 14 will properly register with the mail pouches below.

As the member 6 rotates, one of the pins 40 on the adjacent unit engages the up-turned portion of lever 32, and this action rotates the collar 11 upon which the pin 40 is carried from the position shown in Fig. 10 to the position shown in Figure 11, and thus places the long pin 41 in a vertical position so that it will engage the -upstanding member 42 when the letter has reached the proper mail pouch.

When the pin 41 is engaged by member 42, the collar 11 is rotated and the pin 40 moves the semi-cylindrical member 12 to the position shown in Figure 13, which member 12 during such movement engages the member 14 to force the latter downward and allow the letter thereon to fall into the mail pouch below. The member 14 is fixed to a shaft 7 which carries a counter-balance weight 46, and as soon as the tilting movement of member 14 has been completed, the weight 46 returns member 14 to the horizontal position,

and the member 12 is moved to its initial position by the weight 44.

The collars 11 are returned to their initial positions by the engagement of the projection 62- on the member 12 with lug 63, which causes a rotation of member 12, as shown in Figures 14 and 15 to reset the collars to their initial positions so that the short pins 40 will be vertical.

It will be noted that the rotation of member 6 is step by step, and eachstep of rotation depends upon the depression of a key; and consequently, an individual letter will reach its destination only after the member 6 has moved a suflicient number of steps. For eXample, if the letter is intended for the mail pouch immediately in front of the keyboard, the member 6 will have to move only one step to deposit the letter; should the destination of the letter be the pouch immediately behind the key-board, the member 6 would move seven steps before the letter is deposited.

The step by step movement of member 6 is necessary to give the operator sufiicient time to note the address on the letter and to depress the proper key 31.

There is a key 31 for each pouch, as likewise, there is a collar 11 and lever 32 corresponding to each pouch. Obviously, if there is only one letter on the machine, it may be carried step by step to its destination by holding the key 31 depressed to maintain the energization of the magnet 29.

The foregoing disclosure is to be regarded as descriptive and illustrative only, and not as restrictive or limitative of the invention, of which obviously an embodiment may be constructed including many modifications without departing from the general scope herein indicated and denoted in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Leters Patent, is:

1. In an assorting' device, a wheel-like member having a plurality of radiating stub shafts, article receiving plates rotatably mounted on the stub shafts, means for holding said plates normally in a horizontal position, semi-cylindrical members rotatably mounted on the shafts and engaging the plates, a plurality of collars rotatably mounted on each stub shaft, each collar having a pair of pins of unequal length projecting therefrom, means for rotating the wheel-like member step by step, means for selectively engaging the short pin on a desired collar to rotate the latter to place the long pin in a vertical position and the short pin in engagement with an edge of the semicylindrical member, and means positioned at a predetermined point to engage the long pin to cause rotation of the collar and semi-cylindrical member to tilt the plate downwardly.

2. In an asserting device, a member having a plurality of radiating stub shafts, article receiving plates rotatably mounted on the stub shafts, means for holding said plates normally in a horizontal position, a plurality of collars rotatably mounted on each stub shaft, each collar having a pair of pins ofunequal length'projecting therefrom, means for engaging the short pin of a selected collar to set that collar so that the long pin thereof will be vertical, means for rotating the member step by step, means positioned at a predetermined point to engage the long pin to cause rotation of the collar, and means associated with the collar to tilt the plate downwardly'.

3. In an assorting device, a member having a plurality of radiated stub shafts, means for rotating the member step by step, article receiving plates rotatably mounted on the stub shaft, a plurality of collars rotatably mounted on each stub shaft, means for rotating a selected collar at a predetermined point, and means associated with the collar to tilt the platedownwardly.

This specification signed this sixth day of November, 1929. JACOB WEINER. 

